Summarized Row Crop Information from Ben Reeves Berrien County Agent
Cotton Target Spot- Conditions (wet weather, hot, humid, rank growth) are favorable right now for the development of Target Spot in the cotton canopy. When checking your field for the disease start at the bottom interior of the plant. Consider a fungicide application if cotton has good yield potential, good growth and you start to see the disease around 1st bloom. The 1st to 6th week of bloom is our window for managing the disease.
Priaxor, Miravis Top, Headline and Quadris are some fungicide options. Quadris is the least effective of those on target spot, but is good to very good on Aerolate Mildew. Aerolate Mildew reported in Colquitt County.
Stink bugs in Cotton – With a large chunk of our cotton blooming it typically means fields are being treated for Stink Bugs.
Thresholds are measured by internal boll injury. Damage looks like warts inside the boll where the Stink Bug pierced into it to feed.
Check quarter sized bolls when scouting and avoid field edges. Thresholds are as follows:
• 2nd week of bloom: 20%
• 3rd week of bloom: 10-15%
• 4th week of bloom: 10-15%
• 5th week of bloom: 10-15%
• 6th week of bloom: 20%
• 7th week and on: 30%
Pyrethroids like bifenthrin are going to work well on green stink bugs. Organophosphates like Bidrin are needed to manage high populations of brown stink bugs. Hopefully it has been too wet to see high White Fly numbers lately, but as a reminder – stay away from using Bidrin in white fly fields as it will kill your beneficial insects.
Peanuts – In spite of all the rain, overall, I believe we have a good peanut crop. Disease pressure and timely fungicide applications still remain a key priority. Early leaf spot is active. Regarding rain fast and our current frequent showers: Generally, a leaf spot fungicide ideally needs 8-12 hours rain free to get the maximum effect. There are some exceptions, i.e. Priaxor and Miravis that only require 2 hours rain free. White mold fungicides need to get washed into the soil to activate, so rain fastness is less of an issue.
Ideally a rain or irrigation within 24 hours is needed to get the most out of a white mold product.
Soybeans – Not a whole lot of beans in the county but I’d like to let you know here that soybean rust has been confirmed in several sentinel plots around the state, including Tift. It would not be a bad idea to put a fungicide out if the beans are between R3 and R6.